Apparatus for coating objects



Feb, 26, 1924.

Filed Oct. 5. 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 26, 19245 1,484,86?

F.F.BRADLEY APPARATUS FOR COATING OBJECTS Filed Oct. 5. 1921 5Sheets-Sheet Z Feb. 26, 1924. 1,484,867

F. F. BRADLEY APPARATUS FOR COATING OBJECTS Filed Ot. 5. 1921 5Sheets-Sheet 5 CU n F. F. BRADLEY APPARATUS FOR COATING OBJECTS FiledOct. 5. 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Feb 26, 1924 1,484,867

- F. F. BRADLEY APPARATUS FOR COATING OBJECTS File'd Oct. 1921 5Sheets-Sheet 5 T l Q Fatented el 26-,-

mm 5m PATENT, orrlca.

rmxnm r. BRADLEY, or cnrcneo; rnnrnors, ASSIGNOB r0 BRADLEY a vnoomn vcomrm, or cnrcaeo, rumors, A coaronmlon or rumors.

Arrmrus ron coa'rnvo owners.

. Application filed October 3, 1921.. Seria1"No. 504,906.

.7 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN F. BRAD? LEY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinols, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inApparatus for Coating Objects, of which the following is a full, clear,concise, and exact description.

My invention relates to apparatus employing discharge nozzles fordirecting fluid upon objects and is of particular utility when embodiedin liquid spraying apparatus such, for example, as is employed for--applying paint.

In carrying out my invention I employ means for effecting travel of thenozzle along an object and for restoring the nozzle to startingposition. In the preferred embodiment of the invention mechanism is alsoemployed for cutting off flow of fluid through the nozzle while beingrestored to its normal position and for thereafter reestablishing flowof fluid through the nozzle.

The objects to be painted, or to which fluid is to be otherwise applied,are mounted upon an object carrier that is provided with mechanism forefiecting its travel, the discharge nozzle being disposed so as todirect fluid upon the object or objects borne by the carrier. Themechanism that is employed to control the relation of the dischargenozzle to the object toward .which the nozzle is directed serves toeffect travel ofthe nozzle crosswise of the direction of travel of theobject carrier, there being means for maintaining the nozzle in positionto discharge upon the object as the object and nozzle are traveling. Thenozzle is desirably provided upon a carrier, this carrier and the objectcarrier traveling in angular directions, there preferably being a guidefor the nozzle carrier that is so inclined toward the direction oftravel of the object carrier as to maintain the nozzle in position todischarge upon the object while both nozzle and ob ect are traveling.

When the apparatus of my invention is embodied in a painting equipment,for example, there is also employed a conduit through which the objectcarrier and its load travel in one direction angular to the direction oftravel of the nozzle whose inclined guide is preferably disposed outsideof the conduit and at the entrance thereto.

Means are employed for heating the air nozzle, and the invention, therein theconduit and means are also preferably employed for forcing thecirculation of the heated air through the conduit.

It is believed thatthe conduit which is employed in my apparatus for thetraveling objects and the means that is used to heat the air are novelwithout re ard to the Fore, in all of its aspects, is not to be limitedto the employment of the nozzle.

The invention has other characteristics and will be fully explained byreference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred embodimentthereof as employed in painting equipment, Fig. 1 being a plan view ofthe apparatus thus embodied, parts being broken away for lack of space;Fi 2 is a sectional plan View on a larger sca e on line 22 of Fig. 4;Fig. 3 is a view, mainly in section, illustrative of the nozzle; Fig. 4is a sectional elevation on line 44 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a sectionaldetail view on line a-a of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a sectional end view online 55 of Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a sectional plan view on line 66 of Fig. 5;Fig. 7 is a detail view showing a portion of the object carrier; Fig. 8is a view on line 88 of Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a view from beneath of one ofthe holding elements upon the object carrier; Fig. 10 is a sectionalview on line 10'10 of Fig. 8; Fig. 11 is a view in elevation, partsbeing broken away, illustrating the nozzle and the inclined guidetherefor; Fig. 12 is a View on line 1212 of Fig. 11; and Fig. 13 is aview on line 13-13 of Fig. 11.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughoutthe different figures.

The equipment illustrated is one which is designed for the painting ofthe side rails of bedsteads but it is to be understood that theinvention is not to be limited to any particular use thereof nor to theapplication of liquid to objects as it will become apparent that fluidin other form may be applied to or directed upon traveling objects bymeans of the apparatus of my invention.

The bedstead'side rails 1 that are illustrated in the drawings are ofthe usual form .having the ear formations 2 on the ends depend, theseobject holders having dovetailed grooveways 5 in the bottom ends thereof into which the ear formations 2 may be slipped in a manner similar tothe insertion thereof Within the sockets provided upon the bedsteadposts. The side rails thus depend vertically from the object carrier andare caused to travel in the orbit of the chain 3 that is passed aboutthe horizontal sprocket wheels 6 and 7 that are horizontally disposed.The mechanism for effecting the travel of the chain includes a maintraveling pulley 8 upon a shaft 9 that carries a worm 10 in mesh with aworm gear 11 that is fixed upon the shaft 12 of the sprocket wheel 7.

As illustrated in Fig. 2, the object carrying chain 3 is caused totravel in a counter-clockwise direction. The conduit 13 is of U-shape,one side of the U-shaped conduit taking one stretch of the chain and theside rails depending therefrom and the other side of the conduit takingthe other stretch of the chaln and the side rails depending therefrom.Two tracks 14 and 15 thread the conduit passage and project through theends of the conduit. The chain carries rollers 16 upon the side of thechain, these rollers turning upon said tracks as the chain is driven bythe sprocket wheel 7. The tracks are spaced sufliciently apart to permitthe holders 4 depending from the chain to pass between the tracks.

Paint is applied to the objects preferably by means of the nozzlemechanism hereinafter to be described, but to the employment of whichnozzle mechanism the invention is not to be limited in all of itsaspects.

In order to heat the air for the purpose of drying the paint applied tothe objects 1, heating means are disposed within the U-shaped conduit,this heating means being preferably in the form of steam coils 17supplied with steam' from any suitable source through the steam supplypiping 18. These coils may be located throughout the conduit or inspaced apart portions thereof. As illustrated, the coils straddle thechain and the side rails depend upon the chain. Air is kept incirculation within the conduit by means of a suction fan 19 havingconnection with the bight of the conduit and serving to draw the airfrom the open ends of the conduit rearwardly through the pipe 20connecting the bight of the conduit with the chain.

The nozzle for directing paint or other fluid upon the side rails orother objects may be of any suitable form, the nozzle illustrated inFig. 3 being preferred. There are preferably two such nozzles betweenwhich the side rails pass. One nozzle Will be specifically described,similar characters of reference being employed in connection with theother. The paint is supplied through the pipe 21 and the nipple 22 tothe nozzle casing 23 and the nozzle tube 24 communicating meme? with theinterior of the casing. A plunger against the force of which it may bewithdrawn b means of a bar 27 that is pressed rcarwar 1y against thehead 28 of the valve for this purpose. The bar 27 is automaticallyoperated to open the plunger valve when the nozzle is on its paintingstroke and to permit closure of the valve when the nozzle is on itsreturn stroke. To this end the bar 27 is connected with an oscillatinglever 29 pivoted upon the nozzle casing 23. This lever is swung in acounter-clockwise direction when the plunger valve 25 is to be openedduring the bodily travel .of the nozzle as will later appear. Said leveris held in the position to which it is turned in a counter-clockwisedirection by means of a detent 30 that engages a pin 31 upon the lever,the engagement of the pin 31 and detent 30 being maintained while thenozzle is in its spraying movement. When the nozzle has reached the endof its spraying movement the pin and detent are separated, as willappear, to permit the spring 26 to close the valve 25. Air is admittedto the nozzle through the pipe 32 into the air chamber 33 that surroundsthe for- Ward end of the nozzle tube 24, the air chamber 33 terminatingin front of the forward 'nate at their discharge ends in front of theair chamber 33. The valve 35 opens and closes the passage 36 thatestablishes communication between the air pipe 32 and the 1 air chamber33. The valve 35 is also connected with the lever 29 and is openedwhenever saidlever is moved to open the valve 24 and is closed wheneversaid lever is freed to permit the valve 24 to be closed by the spring26. The spring 26 may be supplemented, in its function, by the spring 37cooperating therewith to effect the closingmovements of the valves 24and 35.

The nozzle is guided in its travel upon the guide 38 that is inclined inthedirection in which the side rails are directed into the U-shapedconduit 13. To this end the nozzle is mounted upon a carriage 39 thatmoves in the channel that is formed in the guide' link 42. The sprocketchain 41 is inclined forwardly in the direction of forward travel of theside rails correspondingly to the guide 38. The sprocket chains have arate of travel whereby, as they cause the carriage to rise, the nozzlesserve to direct paint along the side rails as these rails travel; thatis the nozzles are prevented from being shifted laterally with respectto the side rails as both the side rails and the nozzles are in movementduring the time the nozzles are directingE paint upon the side rails.

he means for causing the chains 41 to travel desirably reside in thespur gear 43 upon the shaft 9 in mesh with a spur pinion 44 upon a shaft45, this latter shaft carrying a pinion 4:6 in mesh with a spur gear 47that drives the bevel pinion 48. This bevel pinion is in mesh with abevel pinion 49 upon a shaft 50 carrying sprocket wheels at its endsthat are in driving engagement with the sprocket chains 41.

Each of the guide structures for the nozzle is formed with a nose 51that is engageable with the roller 52 upon the lever 29 ofthecorrespondingnozzle when the nozzle is at the lower limit of itstravel. The action of the noses 51 is such that they place the pins 31in position to be engaged by the detents 30 upon the nozzles, saiddetents then serving to hold the valves 25 and 35 in open position. Thisadjustment is maintained durin the upward movement of the nozzles. Whenthe nozzles have reached the upper limits of their travel the noses 51upon the guides engage the outer ends of the detents 30 to separate thedetents from engagement with the pins 31 whereupon the springs 26 and 37may function to close the nozzle valves pertaining thereto. This closedposition of the valves is maintained during the descent of the nozzlesand until the noses 51 again serve to bring the pins 31 into engagementwith the detents 30 to hold the valves in open position during theupward travel of the nozzles.

The objects to be painted are mounted upon the object carrier which iscaused to move in one direction of travel. The painting nozzle isdisposed so as to direct the paint upon the objects borne by thecarrier. The discharge nozzle and the object carrier are so controlledin their relative movements that the nozzle is maintained in position todischarge paint upon the objects, a result which is possible because thenozzle carrier is directed in its movements by a guide in clined towardthe direction of travel of the object carrier. The object carrier iscaused to travel through the U shaped conduit provided therefor, thepainted objects being dried in this conduit by means of heated air whosecirculation through the conduit is forced.

While I have herein shown and particularly described the preferredembodiment of my invention I do not wish to be limited to the precisedetails of construction shown as changes may readily be made withoutdeparting from the s Hit of my invention, but having thus descri ed myinvention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent thefollowing 1. The combination with an object carrier mounted to travel inone direction; of mechanism for efi'ecting the travel of said carrier; adischarge nozzle disposed to dis- 'maintaining the nozzle in position todischarge upon an object, upon the object carrier, while the twocarriers are in travel.

3. The combination with an object carrier; of a discharge nozzle;mechanism for causing travel of said carriers in angular di rections;and a guide for the nozzle carrier so inclined toward the direction oftravel of the object carrier as to maintain the traveling nozzle inposition to discharge upon a traveling object upon the object carrier.

4. The combination with an object carrier; of a discharge nozzle; acarrier for the discharge nozzle; mechanism for causing travel of saidcarriers in angular directions; and a guide for the nozzle carrierinclined toward the direction of travel of the object carrier.

5. The combination with an object can rier; of a discharge nozzle;mechanism for causing the travel of the object carrier and mechanism forcausing the travel oi. the nozzle in a direction inclined toward thedirection of travel of the object carrier.

6. The combination with an object carrier; of a discharge nozzle;mechanism for causing the travel of the object carrier and mechanism forcausing the travel 0% the nozzle in a direction inclined toward thedirection of travel of the object carrier and at a rate to maintain thetraveling nozzle in position to discharge upon a traveling object uponthe object carrier.

7. The combination with the carrier of a plurality of objects; ofmechanism for effecting the travel of said carrier; a discharge nozzledisposed to discharge upon an object borne by the carrier; mechanismeffecting travel of discharge nozzle crosswise of the direction oftravel of the object car rier; there being means for maintaining thenozzle in position to-discharge upon an object, upon the object carrier,as it and the nozzle are traveling; mechanism for reversing thedirection of travel of the nozzle to restore the nozzle to position todischarge upon a succeeding object; and mechanism for cutting oil flowthrough the nozzle while bein thus restored and for thereafterreestahlishing flow through the nozzle.

- 8. The combination with the carrier of a plurality of objects; of adischarge nozzle; a carrier for the discharge nozzle that positions suchnozzle to discharge upon an object borne by the carrier; mechanism forcausing said carriers to travel in angular directions and formaintaining the nozzle in position to discharge upon an object, upon theobject carrier, while the two carriers are in travel; mechanism forreversing the direction of travel of the nozzle carrier to restore thenozzle to position to discharge upon a succeeding object; and mechanismfor cutting 03 flow through the nozzle while being thus restored and forthereafter reestablishing flow through the nozzle.

9. The combination with the carrier of a plurality of objects; of adischarge nozzle; a carrier for the discharge nozzle; mechanism forcausing travel of said carriers in angular directions; a guide for thenozzle carrier so inclined toward the direction of travel of the objectcarrier as to maintain the traveling nozzle in position to dischargeupon a traveling object upon the object carrier; mechanism for reversingthe direction of travel of the nozzle carrier to restore the nozzle tooosition to discharge upon a succeeding object; and mechanism forcutting ofi" flow through the nozzle while being thus restored and forthereafter re-establishing flow through the nozzle.

10. The combination with the carrier of a plurality of objects; of adischarge nozzle;

a carrier for the nozzle; mechanism for 1 causing travel of Saidcarriers in angular directions; a uide for the nozzle carrier inclinedtowar the direction of travel of the object carrier; mechanism forreversing the direction of travel of the nozzle carrier to restore thenozzle to position to discharge upon a succeeding object; and mechanismfor cutting ofi' flow through the nozzle while being thus restored andfor thereafter re-establishing flow through the nozzle.

eanne? tit) ceeding object: and mechanism for cutting ofi' flow throughthe nozzle while being thus restored and for thereafter re-establishingflow through the nozzle.

12. The combination with the carrier of a plurality of objects; of adischarge nozzle; mechanism for causing the travel of the objectcarrier; mechanism for causing the travel of the nozzle in a directioninclined toward the direction of travel of the object carrier and at arate to maintain the traveling nozzle in position to discharge upon atraveling object upon the object carrier; mechanism for reversing thedirection of travel of the nozzle to restore the nozzle to position todischarge upon a succeeding obect; and mechanism for cutting oli flowthrough the nozzle while being thus re stored and for thereafterre-establishing flow through the nozzle.

- 13. Apparatus of the class described including a conduit of U-formopening at its ends; conveying mechanism passing through saidconduit;and means for heating the air that is within the conduit.

- 14:. Apparatus of the class described -including a conduit of U-formopening at its ends; conveying mechanism assing through said conduit;means for e ecting circulation of air within the conduit connected withthe bight of the conduit; and means flor heating the air that is withinthe conuit.

15. Apparatus of the class described including a conduit of Ll-formopening at its ends; conveying mechanism passing through said conduit;means for withdrawing air from the conduit connected with the hight ofthe conduit; and means for heating the air that is within the conduit. V

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 14th day ofSeptember A. D, 1921.

FRANKLIN r. BRADLEY.

not

